THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF WORLD WAR II AVIATION
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COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO
January 17, 2023
Special Presentation:
History Flight: Never Leave a Fallen Comrade Behind; Helping to Recover Missing World War Two Airmen
Join us!

Saturday, January 21, 2023
Museum opens 10:00 a.m., presentation 11:00 a.m.

How can you fill an emptiness that has always been part of your family’s life? The aim of History Flight archaeology is to assist the Department of Defense (DoD) in finding the remains of missing World War Two airmen so they can be brought home.

On March 21, 1945, pilot Second Lieutenant Lynn Wilson Hadfield, 642nd Bombardment Squadron, 409th Bombardment Group, 9th Bombardment Division, 9th Air Force, was killed on his first mission; he was flying a twin-engine A-26B Invader ground attack aircraft when he was shot down over Hülsten-Reken, Germany. A suspected crash site was found in June 2016; it then took more than two years until positive identification of the crash and remains of Lt Hadfield, along with those of his crew members, Sgt. Vernon Hamilton of Monongahela, Pennsylvania and Sgt John Kalausich of Charleston, West Virginia, could be made.

Career archaeologist Steve Cassells was part of the History Flight archaeology team that conducted the excavation of the suspected site in Germany and recovered the wreckage of the aircraft, as well as the confirmed remains of Lieutenant Hadfield.

On Saturday, January 21st, Steve will make a special presentation at the museum describing this and other operations he has participated in helping the Department of Defense recover the remains of air crews so they could be returned to their families. He’ll discuss two P-47 Thunderbolts and the A-26 Invader recoveries he has participated in since 2016.

History Flight is a privately operated, 501(c)3 Non-Profit Organization dedicated to researching and recovering downed American aircraft and repatriating the remains of the aircrews back to the United States of America. History Flight’s recovery efforts are focused on individuals who have been listed as Missing in Action (MIA) or deemed non-recoverable in WWII, the Korean War, the Cold War and the Vietnam War.

10:00 am Doors Open
11:00 am Presentation

Standard admission prices are in effect. The purchase of advance on-line tickets at https://www.worldwariiaviation.org/product/ticket-to-the-museum/ is encouraged. Advance ticket prices are:

Adult $15
Child (4-12) $11
Senior and Military $13
WWII Veterans - Free admission
Parking – Always Free!

You may also read a wonderful article on Lt Hadfield, the recovery efforts, and his return to the United States for long-overdue military honors at this link: Lynn Hadfield: An American family finds closure as a WWII hero finally comes home | CNN .

National Museum of World War II Aviation
775 Aviation Way, Colorado Springs, CO 80916
719-637-7559